The invention relates to an improved germicide and an improved method of killing bacteria, fungus and viruses using the improved germicide, and more particularly, to a germicide having surprising bacteriological activity and an improved method of killing bacteria, fungus and viruses which surprisingly is effective in the presence of water, water in the presence of 5% weight organic soil, hard water, and hard water in the presence of 5% weight organic soil simultaneously.
Germicidal compositions containing didecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride and quaternary ammonium chlorides have long been known. See U.S. Pat. No. 3,836,669 issued to Dadekian and initially assigned to Baird Chemical Industries, Inc. Also see U.S. Pat. No. 3,525,793 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,472,939 both issued to Petrocci et al. and initially assigned to Millmaster Onyx Corporation.
In the later 1960's and early 1970's, a germicide was formulated by Huntington Laboratories, Inc. containing the bacteriologically active compounds. See " New Generation Of Biologically Active Quaternaries", Richard D. Ditoro, CSMA, Proceedings of the 55th Annual Meeting, December, 1968. These germicidal compositions while known to be bacteriologically active gained only limited acceptance by the ultimate users such as hospitals, nursing homes and the like. In order to present to the hospital a germicidal compositions which when diluted for use had the clarity of water, a significant amount of ammonium sulphate had to be added to the composition. This ammonium sulphate caused the germicidal composition to "smell" of ammonia and have a noticeable smell long after the germicide was used. Both the ammonia smell and/or the possibility of a cloudy germicidal solution were unacceptable to the end users. By 1977 Huntington Laboratories, Inc. had ceased formulating its germicidal composition. Based upon this experience, it would be highly desirable to provide new and improved germicides which would have the same or similar bacteriological activity as these prior art germicides but without requiring ammonium sulphate to obtain water-clear solutions.
Additionally, upon the formation of governmental agencies having jurisdiction over germicidal compositions, governmental regulations and tests were formulated which had an impact upon the manufacturers of germicidal compositions. Currently, the Environmental Protection Agency of the United States Government requires manufacturers of germicidal compositions who claim disinfectant properties for its germicidal composition (i.e. that the composition kills microorganisms present except bacterial spores on inanimant surfaces), to establish kills when diluted to its published use-dilution with distilled water to qualify as a two step disinfectant, and such kills upon dilution with distilled water in the presence of five percent organic soil to qualify as a one step disinfectant. If a claim that a disinfectant can be used in hard water is made, then such kills must be established upon dilution with at least 400 ppm of synthetic hard water calculated as calcium carbonate. While some prior art compositions claim bacteriological effectiveness in hard water and some claim effectiveness in solutions containing 5% weight organic soil, such as blood serum, none of the prior art germicidal compositions known claim bacteriological effectiveness in hard water and in the presence of 5% weight organic soil simultaneously. Clearly, it is highly desirable to provide a new and improved germicidal compositions which can qualify as a disinfectant in hard water and in solutions containing 5% organic soil. It would further be desirable to provide improved germicidal compositions which can qualify as disinfectants in hard water and in the presence of 5% weight organic soil simultaneously. An improved germicidal composition making such a claim would indeed be a substantial advance in the art of germicidal compositions.